The present invention relates to an apparatus for laying a refractory lining on the inner wall of a vessel. More particularly, this invention relates to a bricklaying apparatus comprising an operational center capable of being lowered and raised within a vessel. Although not being limited thereto in its utility, this invention is especially well suited in the repair of the inner refractory lining of a metallurgical converter.
It is known that the repair of the refractory lining of a converter is repetitive work which must be carried out frequently, (i.e., at least once every three weeks for each converter). Moreover, this work has to be performed under extremely difficult conditions (inside the vessel and in a dust-laden atmosphere). It is also very exhausting work, because the bricks can weigh up to several tens of kilos.
Consequently, attempts have been made to mechanize and, if possible, automate at least some of this work; in particular the transportation and handling of the bricks. For example, a type of hoist with an endless chain is used for this bricklaying purpose. This prior art apparatus transports the bricks individually from a manual depalletizing station located outside the converter towards a platform which is arranged inside the converter and on which there are several workers occupied with lining the wall with bricks.
There are also prior art systems which involve lifting an entire column of bricks and laying it on a new brick at the rate at which the bricks are removed above it by the workers on the platform.
However, the various prior systems described hereinabove have several disadvantages. First, there is a lack of flexibility when the platform is supplied with bricks. In fact, it is not possible for the workers to select individual bricks since the bricks arrive one by one. When a worker requires a brick of a particular size at a certain moment (even though that brick can be specifically ordered) before receiving it, the worker must nevertheless receive those bricks already engaged in the hoist. Moreover, because of the depalletization, the reception and the laying of the bricks are all carried out by hand; and manual labor is still required for the actual brick-lining.